Google TV gets more (paid) content

Just when we wondered what was going on with the lack of Google TV news, an official blog post comes with some bits of progress. The most important part is that Google TV is going to get more content. This was an issue with the original version and it looks like the number of paid movies, shows etc is going to rise, which is a good thing. I’d rather pay for content, than not having content at all.

Secondly, the Google TV team has announced that Sony, Vizio and LG will launch products that feature Google TV in “nine countries”. Additionally, the team said that more manufacturers were coming on board. Finally, Google Play (the store) for Google TV is going to get an updated user interface which should bring it closer to what handsets and tablet have.

Just like any other “TV box” like Apple TV etc, Google TV’s main obstacle to be genuinely useful is that cable operators just won’t relinquish control. Why would they, right? Getting content in front of your eyes has no longer been a technological problem for some time. Instead, this is all about copyright licensing and ultimately advertising dollars. Whoever controls the channel, controls the ad revenues.

How long is it going to take for the tech industry to crack this problem? Who knows. What is known is that if cable operators could use some *decent* technology and user-interface in their products, maybe customers wouldn’t complain so much about the high subscription price and mostly miserable user experience.